Obama approval rating below Clinton, Reagan, Eisenhower at same points in their tenures

President Obama's approval rating dropped three percentage points to 44.5 percent between July 20 and Oct. 19, the third-largest drop of his presidency, according to Gallup. (Chart: Gallup)

President Obama's approval rating dropped three percentage points to 44.5 percent between July 20 and Oct. 19, the third-largest drop of his presidency, according to Gallup.

The government shutdown was the main driver of the approval slump, which caused Obama’s rating to dip to 41 percent, the lowest since November 2011. That low approval rating came after the previous debt ceiling debate that led to sequestration.

But the shutdown was not the only driver of Obama’s rating drop.

“Obama's Gallup daily job approval ratings tended to be higher earlier in his 19th quarter than in the latter part,” Gallup said. “In late August and early September, Obama sought congressional approval for military action in Syria, something the public did not favor.”

The largest drop in Obama's approval rating came between July 20, 2009 and Oct. 19, 2009, when his rating fell nine percentage points. At the time, Obama had shifted focus away from the struggling economy and decided to push for health care reform, which prompted angry town halls across the country.

The second-largest drop occurred between July 20, 2011 and Oct. 19, 2011, with a drop of six percentage points. This ratings drop came after the 2011 debt ceiling battle.

Obama has a lower approval rating at this point in his presidency than Bill Clinton, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan did at the same point, but a higher rating than Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.